Services

In the month of September, we commemorate the following events:

14 September 1914: Loss of HMA Submarine AE1
HMA Submarine AE1 was lost without trace off the coast of German New Guinea in the early days of the First World War. After 103 years, it was recently relocated in December 2017 off the coast of the Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea.

September 1941: Siege of Tobruk, Libya
A combined Australian/British force, which became known as the 'Rats of Tobruk', spent more than 6 months holding off the forces of the Afrika Korps, preventing them from advancing into Egypt and capturing the vital Suez Canal. They were relieved by fresh British and Polish forces in September 1941. 559 identified Australians are buried in the war cemetary at Tobruk.

21 September 1971: Battle of Nui Le
The last major battle fought by ANZAC troops in Vietnam saw 5 Australians killed and 24 wounded. Australian forces would withdraw from Vietnam in early December having won their battles but losing the war. 

Raised on 26 April 1940 from mostly Victorian volunteers, the 2/14 Australian Infantry Battalion served in the Middle East and saw action during the invasion of Syria and Lebanon in 1941. After a brief return to Australia, they deployed to Papua New Guinea in 1942 and fought during the Kokoda Campaign. Their final offensive operation of the Second World War was the landings at Balikpapan, Borneo in July 1945. Three months later they formed part of the occupation force on the Indonesian island of Celebes (present day Sulawesi) before disbanding on 22 February 1946. 

On 25 September 1917, Australian troops of the 15th Brigade, while prepared and primed for the upcoming operation, successfully fended off a German attack south of their position. However, their advance the next day now began with uncertainty to the security of their flank.

The British and dominion advance began at dawn on the 26th, with the 4th and 5th Divisions on the left and right of First ANZAC respectively. The infantry advanced behind a heavy artillery barrage and they secured most of their objectives without difficulty. To the south, the 15th Brigade, now reinforced by two battalions from the 8th, secured not only its own objectives but those allocated to the neighboring 98th British Brigade. The Germans launched several counter-attacks but these were thwarted by the heavy defensive artillery barrages.

The Australian Commando Association (Victoria) will hold their annual pilgrimage to the Shrine on the last Sunday of September, marking the establishment of the Commando cairn at Tidal River (Wilson's Promontory), birthplace of the Australian Commandos.

Victorian Commando veterans and their families unable to attend the cairn at Tidal River mark their special occasions at their memorial tree on the Shrine Reserve. 

The Regiment serves as an officer training unit in the Australian Army Reserve, with lineage dating back to 1884 as D Company 4th Battalion of the Victorian Rifles, when it was known as the University Company. General Sir John Monash was a Colour Sergeant of this unit before taking a commission in the colonial and later Commonwealth militia. As a training establishment they have never deployed as a fighting force, however MUR graduates have served in every major commitment of Australia's armed forces since Federation.